Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) Given New $135.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Free Report) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the game software company's stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Ascendiant Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $167.00 to $159.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Electronic Arts from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Electronic Arts from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.00.

Electronic Arts Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ EA traded up $3.94 during trading on Thursday, hitting $145.87. 2,359,194 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,629,655. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. Electronic Arts has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $168.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $138.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.02 billion, a PE ratio of 37.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.79.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The game software company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($1.07). Electronic Arts had a net margin of 14.28% and a return on equity of 17.80%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Electronic Arts will post 4.71 EPS for the current year.

Electronic Arts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. Electronic Arts's payout ratio is currently 19.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Jacob J. Schatz sold 1,500 shares of Electronic Arts stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.65, for a total value of $218,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,033 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,156.45. This trade represents a 7.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Vijayanthimala Singh sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.03, for a total transaction of $122,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 28,216 shares in the company, valued at $3,443,198.48. This trade represents a 3.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,305,890 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Electronic Arts

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EA. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,607,817 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $235,224,000 after acquiring an additional 95,190 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Electronic Arts during the fourth quarter worth $217,000. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Electronic Arts by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 338,870 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $49,577,000 after buying an additional 80,968 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Electronic Arts by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,456,520 shares of the game software company's stock valued at $213,089,000 after buying an additional 36,153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD acquired a new stake in Electronic Arts during the 4th quarter worth $3,730,000. 90.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Electronic Arts Company Profile

Electronic Arts Inc develops, markets, publishes, and distributes games, content, and services for game consoles, PCs, mobile phones, and tablets worldwide. It develops and publishes games and services across various genres, such as sports, racing, first-person shooter, action, role-playing, and simulation primarily under the Battlefield, The Sims, Apex Legends, Need for Speed, and license games from others, including FIFA, Madden NFL, UFC, and Star Wars brands.